As we slowly come back from a very long summer hiatus, Drs. Lockhart and Waite discuss their top five things they would “never” do as animal behavior professionals (and as animal owners/caretakers).

The important thing to remember is that every professional and owner is different. We all have unique boundaries we won’t cross (but also unique exceptions to those boundaries!). So if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that we don’t all agree, and therefore your boundaries may be quite different from ours. We chat about some typical items, as well as puppy pee pads, training guarantees, and renting out your yard to the public.

Length: 35 min

CEUs Offered: No

We’re a little

It’s time for our annual rants and raves. This year, we’ve invited Dr. Camille Ward onto the show to help us think through what is going well in the world of animal behavior, and what is maybe going… less well. Some topics have been issues for years, and some are new raves, such as the increase in discussion on certification requirements for dog trainers.

Links:
DIY Cat Wand: https://www.purina.com/articles/cat/activities/how-to-make-a-diy-wand-cat-toy
DIY Cat Puzzle Feeders: https://www.purina.com/articles/cat/feeding/diy-cat-puzzle-feeder
https://www.purina.ca/articles/cat/activities/diy-cat-puzzle-feeder

Length: 65 min

CEUs Offered: No

Back when I was interested in learning more about animal behavior and possibly getting into as a career, I looked in vain for an animal behavior-focused Master’s program. Eventually, I gave up and found another path into animal behavior. Well y’all, let us tell you – Dr. Erica Feuerbacher has built the program we all wished we had when were were just starting out.

All we can say is that it sounds incredible and worthwhile. The program has academic groundings so that people engaging in animal behavior work have a better understanding of why a behavior is occurring and how to use that “why” to reduce or increase target behaviors. Even better, the course is all virtual and asynchronous, meaning that people who already have active professions or have geographical/financial barriers don’t need to uproot themselves. Seriously, if this would have existed when I was looking for a way into the field, I absolutely would have taken it. Partially because it is top-notch, and also partially because I never want to leave the great state that is Wisconsin.

We’ll let Dr. Feuerbacher tell you all about it in this podcast.

Links:
Master’s program website: https://www.apsc.vt.edu/students/Graduate/Prospectivestudents/animal-behavior-and-welfare.html
About Dr. Feuerbacher: https://www.apsc.vt.edu/OurPeople/Faculty/Erica-Feuerbacher.html

Length: 46 min

CEUs Offered: No

Most behavior professionals are so busy these days that they have a waitlist, which has resulted in an interesting debate: what exactly are our obligations when contacted by a desperate client? What if we’re booked out? What if the client has a potentially dangerous animals? What if they need help NOW? We chat with Dr. Terri Bright on the different methods and ideologies of intaking new clients, including the protocols used at a top-tier behavioral department versus those for front-line workers doing in-home consulting.

Links:
https://www.mspca.org/animal_care/director-of-behavior/

Length: 51 min

CEUs Offered: No

Join us for an incredible discussion with expert guest, Dr. Sue McDonnell, on a day in the life of a behaviorist specializing in horses. We discuss her five most recent horse behavior cases, and some of these are whoppers. Dr. McDonnell highlights how she approaches each case with her team and how she uses her scientific and behavioral background to assess and intervene. If you have ever wondered what it’s like to be an equine behaviorist, then this podcast is for you!

Dr. McDonnell, PhD, CAAB is the founding head of the Equine Behavior Program and a Clinical Associate at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where she is kept busy with behavior cases and teaching. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Reproductive Behavior at the New Bolton Center.

Links:
https://www.vet.upenn.edu/people/faculty-clinician-search/SUEMCDONNELL
https://thehorse.com/1author/sue-mcdonnell-phd-certified-aab/

Length: 59 min

CEUs Offered: No

This month, we chat about everything we learned from the 2021 IFAAB Conference. In this intimate conference, everyone has to give a talk. Talks vary across research, behavior protocols, and field philosophies/applications. Speakers include veterinary behaviorists, CAABs, researchers, and other behavior professionals and focus on a variety of species (although domestic species are always the most popular). There were talks covering kids and dogs, testing the Assisi Loop for car anxiety, the pros and cons (and outrage?) of negative reinforcement for animal training, what happens to shelter dogs when they go on vacation, and so many more incredible discussions.

Interested in attending this conference yourself one day? Check it out: https://ifaab.org/event/2020-event/

Length: 48 min

CEUs Offered: No

This month we sneak in an extra podcast on the timely hot topic of the potential biting incidents with President Biden’s younger dog, Major. As of the posting of this (3/31/21), there have now been two incidents involving Major, and the media is all over whether Major is a bad dog, will be euthanized, will be trained out of the behavior, etc. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of information regarding the possible bites, and we use this information (or lack thereof) to frame the conversation around this and similar situations.

To help us with the conversation, we have special guests, Drs. Suzanne Hetts and Dan Estep, who are incredible leaders in the field of animal behavior. See: https://animalbehaviorassociates.com/about-us/

Links:
AP News: https://apnews.com/article/major-biden-dog-bite-white-house-2b1d3f05f2ed91b611998d7363b1ccae
Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-dog-major-bite-white-house-legal
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/politics/major-biden-dog-white-house/index.html

Length: 41 min

CEUs Offered: No

Join us as we chat with animal and bird behavior expert, Dr. Scott Coleman. He specifically focuses on the application of behavioral principles and training protocols to the sport of falconry, where predatory birds are trained to partner with humans to hunt. We discuss the history of the sport, including how training procedures have changed over time to become more ethical and effective. Dr. Coleman includes many recommendations for anyone looking to get into falconry, which doesn’t require a lot of money but does require time/effort, a good mentor, and lots of patience. For those interested in unique animal training experiences and thoroughly enjoy the outdoors, this could be an incredible opportunity.

Links:
Dr. Scott Coleman: https://mentis.uta.edu/explore/profile/scott-coleman
Texas Hawking Association: https://www.texashawking.org/
Texas Hawking Association Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Texas-Hawking-Association-206195047541
North American Falconers Association: https://www.n-a-f-a.com/
The Peregrine Fund: https://www.peregrinefund.org/

Length: 52 min

CEUs Offered: No

Pet ownership, although rewarding, does require a significant level of dedication from caregivers. This investment ranges from immediate requirements like time spent exercising our companions to more esoteric requirements like environmental impact of feeding decisions. We take a unique look at pet ownership in our conversation with Dr. Sasha Protopopova about her current research on the impact of companion animal ownership.

Length: 47 min

CEUs Offered: No

Separation anxiety is a leading cause of surrender for dogs. Although this term has been applied to a broad group of behaviors that may or may not actually be separation anxiety, the reality is that some dogs cannot keep it together when their owners must leave the home. We chat with Dr. Erica Feuerbacher regarding some of her exciting work on separation anxiety and its possible treatments. She also sheds light on the difficulty of this stressful condition.

Links:
Feuerbacher & Muir. (2020). Using Owner Return as a Reinforcer to Operantly Treat Separation-Related Problem Behavior in Dogs. Animals.
Dr. Feuerbacher: https://www.apsc.vt.edu/OurPeople/Faculty/Erica-Feuerbacher.html

Length: 54 min

CEUs Offered: Yes (0.5 CEUs) – submit your CEU request